


But No One Needs to Say Goodbye

by lonesomewriter



Category: Free!
Genre: Birthday, Canon Compliant, Family Fluff, Feelings, Fluff, I'm Bad At Tagging, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-11-17
Updated: 2019-11-17
Packaged: 2021-02-08 04:37:36
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,462
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21470182
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lonesomewriter/pseuds/lonesomewriter
Summary: It's Makoto's birthday, and he is going to spend it alone for the first time in his life.Or is he?
Relationships: Nanase Haruka/Tachibana Makoto
Comments: 8
Kudos: 53
Collections: Tachibana Makoto Birthday Exchange 2019





	But No One Needs to Say Goodbye

**Author's Note:**

  * For [EternalDarkEyes](https://archiveofourown.org/users/EternalDarkEyes/gifts).

> This is my gift for ExquisiteWallflower [(tumblr](https://exquisitewallflower.tumblr.com/),[twitter)](https://twitter.com/EternalDarkEyes) as a part of [Tachibana Makoto Birthday Exchange](https://sites.google.com/view/makotobirthdayexchange2019/gifts-%E3%82%AE%E3%83%95%E3%83%88-2019?authuser=0) ^^
> 
> I chose the prompt "Makoto's first birthday away from home", hopefully this fic is to your liking even tho I kinda brushed over the 'homesickness' part :'D

The cheerful voices of the children splashing in the pool echoed in the swimming hall, and Makoto smiled at the sight of the little buns in pool floats and armbands tossing and turning in the water. His shift as a junior swimming tutor was about to end, and he was reluctant to part from the overly enthusiastic children.

“Okay now, the time’s up!” he informed with a soft but firm tone once the clock turned quarter to five, his heart twitching when a chorus of protests filled the air. Nodding at his coworker, Makoto helped to pick up the squirming kids from the pool.

“We’ll see each other again next week,” he reminded the kids, holding the smallest of them in his arms as they made their way to the showers. “You all did so well today, we are both very proud of you all!”

“Coach Makoto!” one of the boys squeaked, wobbling to Makoto’s side, still wearing the relatively huge, turtle-patterned armbands. “Coach Makoto! My mom said we are having pizza today! Makoto-coach, do you like pizza? I  _ love  _ pizza!”

Makoto chuckled, patting the boy's head through the swim cap he had on. "Yeah, I do like pizza! Are you having something special today?"

The boy nodded, his huge, blue eyes reminding Makoto of Haru. He missed his friend, but knew that Haru had been busy with training lately, and so they hadn't met for over a week. 

"My sister has birthday today! She is ten, isn't she so old already!"

"Yes, she is," Makoto's smile faltered a little as he held the door to the showers open while the kids entered. He couldn't help but think of how lucky the little boy was to be able to spend his sister's birthday with his family.

But as soon as the pinch of jealousy rose in Makoto’s mind, he pushed it down, shaking his head before he went to help the children wash up. It would be ridiculous of him to get jealous over a child’s happiness.

After the last of the kids had been picked up, Makoto went back to the pools to help his coworker finish cleaning up. When he finally got to the staff dressroom and out of his sweaty work clothes, he slumped down on the bench, sighing as the thought of the bus drive back home in the cold weather crossed his mind.

“The shower’s free,” his coworker said as he emerged from the shower full dressed. It was kinda funny to Makoto how he always dressed up in that tiny cubicle, but he didn’t want to pry on the reason.

“I’m gonna head straight out, so see you on Monday.”

“See you!” Makoto smiled, yanking himself up from the hard bench. He wasn’t really in the mood for a shower, but he knew he’d regret it once he got home if he didn’t take one. Quickly making his way under the cold spray, he let his mind wander to the things he’d tried his best to keep off his mind for the better part of the day.

Today was his nineteenth birthday.

And he was going to spend it alone.

Makoto had never even tried to deny himself the fact that he was a sentimental person. He valued the time he got to spend with his family dearly, and tried to be there for his friends to his best abilities. But now that he lived away from Iwatobi, he had to face the devastating harshness of what being an adult meant. 

He had friends, and his family was still there, but receiving a happy birthday wish from his mother via text message had made his heart clench painfully in his chest. 

It was silly, honestly, but when the realisation that he was not going to have her mother's homemade birthday cake, that he would not be getting to eat his father's green curry with his family, that he was not gonna receive a poorly drawn card from Ran and Ren  _ hurt _ him.

Stepping out of the shower, Makoto closed his eyes before quickly drying his body and pulling on a fresh pair of light jeans and a green shirt, gathering his stuff and leaving the dress room. It was better to sulk at home than in here, anyways. It would not look good if his boss would find him crying in the empty room long after his shift. 

The bus drive was as eventful as one would expect. Makoto tried his best to keep up a positive mindset, but as he walked the stairs towards his apartment, he knew he was most likely just going to curl up in his bed to either sleep or watch something, having no energy to do anything else alone.

Digging his pockets for a while, Makoto sighed dejectedly before pushing the key to the lock and opening the door. He didn't want to meet the cold, empty apartment, didn't want to eat instant noodles for the third day in a row. Oh, if only Haru wouldn't be so busy with school… 

A moment of silence when Makoto stepped over the doorway and into the apartment, his eyes growing wide, the bag he had been holding loosely onto dropping to the floor when he spotted the person standing in the middle of his living room. 

"Surprise," Haru, who was wearing a simple black shirt and jeans, said in a deadpan tone, holding a tiny, green cupcake with one lit candle on his hands. "Happy birthday." 

"Ha - Haru?" Makoto choked, his eyes watering up as he took in his best friend, his absolutely, ridiculously  _ fantastic _ best friend. "You did this for  _ me _ ?!" 

Haru nodded, his head dropping to the floor as he let his dark fringes cover his blue eyes. Makoto was overcome with an inexplicable urge to crush his best friend with a hug—and then he did just that. 

With two huge steps, not even bothering to take his shoes off, Makoto crossed the distance between them, wrapping his arms around Haru and lifting him up to embrace him properly. Haru let out a cry, swiftly moving his hands up to save the cupcake from falling to the floor. 

"Haru!" Makoto wailed, and this time he wasn't able to stop the tears from falling. To imagine he had believed his friend could've forgotten his birthday!

"You're crushing my bones," Haru muttered, but made no move whatsoever to detach himself from the intense hug. Makoto lowered him onto the floor, but didn't take his arms off from around him. 

"I'm so happy, Haru, I can't help it," he breathed, pressing his nose to Haru’s neck, inhaling the lightly chlorine scent of his coarse hair. When Makoto noticed what he was doing, he startled and pushed himself off, laughing awkwardly as his cheeks heated up. 

"A - ah, I'm sorry!" he squeaked, the blush slowly but firmly spreading down his neck. "I don't know what got to me-" 

"It's okay," Haru said, frowning before he turned to put the cupcake onto the tray laying on the coffee table. "Do you want to eat dinner or your cake first?" 

"Di - dinner would be nice," Makoto said, still embarrassed of his actions. It was only after Haru nodded and turned towards the kitchen that Makoto realised the outdoor was still wide open, and he still had his shoes and jacket on. 

Embarrassed, he went to close the door, picking up the bag he had dropped on the doorway before following his friend to the kitchen. There was a warm mix of spices in the air that thickened the closer to the kitchen Makoto walked, which made his stomach grumble in hunger.

He was met with a sight that nearly brought tears back to his eyes. His tiny table was set with tableware placed on top of teal-coloured coasters, a candle and a tiny vase filled with one white rose in the middle. Makoto stared at the table for a long while, unable to utter a word. When he finally turned to thank Haru, his eyes fixed on the kitchen counter, the bowls and pots filled with green curry, mackerel and rice filling his vision.

The emotions he had just managed to somewhat control came to the surface again, and Makoto struggled to swallow down the lump in his throat. When Haru was done taking a tray of baked potatoes from the oven, he turned around, coming face to face with a quietly sobbing Makoto. His face softening, he walked over while taking the mittens off, brushing his hand over his friend’s wet cheeks. 

“Dumb Makoto,” Haru said softly, his voice filled with affection as he wiped off the tears from Makoto’s eyes. “You shouldn’t cry, it’s your birthday.”

Makoto shook his head slightly, leaning to his best friend’s touch. “It’s just - I’m at loss for words, Haru… I was so sure, I thought I wouldn’t have a - that I’d be  _ alone- _ ”

Haru frowned, his expression growing darker as he listened to Makoto’s disjointed words.

“Should I have told you that I was planning this?” he asked, mentally scolding himself for having been inconsiderate of his friend’s emotions. But Makoto was quick to reassure him, waving his hands in front of him with a wide smile on his face.

“No, no! I love the surprise, it’s the best birthday present ever!” he nearly shouted before quieting down. He took a breath to collect himself before continuing. “It’s just, I’ve always spent my birthday with my family, and today it just hit me that I might never have a birthday like that ever again.”

Haru nodded, stepping back to the curry when he was certain Makoto was alright. “It must feel pretty bad.”

Makoto nodded, staying close to Haru as he sprinkled some last seasoning on the potatoes. “It does feel terrible, but I’m glad I have you here now. I don’t know what I’d done if you wouldn’t be here…”

Haru scoffed, sticking a fork to the mackerel and taking a bite, swallowing it with a satisfied hum before opening his mouth again. “But I am here now, so no need to think about that.”

Makoto laughed, his eyes gleaming. “Yeah, you are here, and I am very happy.”

“Let’s eat,” Haru urged when he deemed the food was ready, ushering Makoto to his seat so that he could serve him the food, not letting him argue on the matter. “It’s your birthday, let me serve you.”

Eventually Makoto had no choice but to accept his fate, focusing on everything but the warm feeling growing in his stomach as he watched the careful way Haru placed the rice and curry on his plate.

“I hope it’s okay.” Haru put the plate in front of him before sitting on his own seat, pouring them both a glass of water. He waited until Makoto had taken the first bite before picking his own chopsticks.

When the curry hit Makoto’s tongue, he let out a loud moan. It was _heavenly,_ the balance between the freshness of the snow peas and herbs making his taste buds cry from joy. It wasn't as sweet as the one his father made, but at the moment Makoto was certain he had never tasted anything as delicious in his life. 

Haru was looking at him intently, and Makoto flushed as he noticed the burning gaze on him.

"Is it good?" 

Makoto nodded enthusiastically, rushing to swallow down the bite he'd just started chewing. "So good, honestly Haru, you're the best cook!"

Haru turned back to his own food, the corners of his lips twitching from the compliment. "Not as good as your parents." 

Makoto couldn't really argue with that, but he still wasn’t lacking compliments of his best friend. "You might be right, but you're way more inventive with your cooking! Honestly, I'd be the happiest if I got to eat your cooking for the rest of my life."

Ignoring how cheesy that sentence sounded, Makoto continued eating, his appetite huge now that he had such delicious food in front of him.

“That’s because your own cookings suck,” Haru retorted, for which Makoto let out a choked laugh, his mouth full of food. As he nearly started choking, Haru’s satisfied gleam in his eyes turned to a worried one in a blink of an eye.

After downing two glasses of water, Makoto was somewhat okay again, and their dinner continued with no more teasing. Haru kept stealing glances at Makoto throughout the meal, his eyes sparkling in the candlelight.

After they were done eating, Haru collected the dishes and put them to soak in the sink before taking Makoto to the living room. Makoto smiled giddily as he let his friend guide him by taking his hand, the warmth were their palms touched making him oddly jittery.

"I have something for you," Haru said once they had settled down on the couch, letting go of Makoto’s hand. Makoto had only a moment to mourn the loss of the touch, as he got curious watching his friend fish out a laptop from under the coffee table, setting it down in front of them. 

"What is it?" Makoto couldn't help but inquire, but Haru only shushed him and told him to wait while he turned the laptop on. 

It was only when Haru opened Skype that Makoto realised what they were doing. He didn't have time to open his mouth before the call went through, and a loud chorus of voices blasted through the speakers. 

“Happy birthday Makoto!”

His whole family was there, Ren and Ran were even wearing party hats each. Makoto’s heart jumped to his throat as he looked at the smiling faces, reflexively leaning closer to the screen. “You - but mom, you said you’d be all too busy! How - I don’t understand!”

“You silly boy,” his mother laughed, shaking her head as if she was wondering what to do with his son. “Of course we would have time to spend your birthday with you, I was honestly surprised how easily you believed me when I told you we were too busy!”

"Makoto! Makoto look!" Ran jumped closer to the camera, already tired of waiting for her turn to show Makoto what she had made for him. She held a picture to the camera, a bit too shaky and close for Makoto to see all the details, but it was clearly a colourful drawing of him and his family in front of a birthday cake. 

"I drew this at school! Ren almost didn't draw  _ anything _ , he started crying when I borrowed his pencils, can you believe!" she babbled on, putting the drawing away before jumping up and down on the couch, ignoring her father's quiet protests. "When will you come home? I want to show you all the stuff I have made, and I've also practiced swimming! If you bring Haru too, we can compete together!" 

"Oh, Ran," their mother sighed, pulling her daughter to her lap so that she no longer blocked the others from the screen, planting a quick kiss to her forehead.

His father looked at Makoto with fondness in his eyes. "Ren has also drawn you a picture. Ren, would you show Makoto what you have drawn?"

The timid boy nodded, carefully picking up the drawing and lifting it so that Makoto could see. It was a more detailed work than his sister's, and only had two gold fishes swimming around a 'happy birthday' text. Makoto beamed when he looked at it, his heart nearly bursting from happiness. 

"Thank you both, you're so talented," he said, fighting down the rising urge to leap through the screen and grab both his siblings into a bone-crushing hug. Ran puffed her chest proudly at his words, while Ren blushed and smiled shyly.

"Haru told us you were sulking last week when you were talking about your birthday," his mother said, making Makoto whine and argue that he had not been ‘sulking’, resulting in everybody laughing.

Makoto glanced at Haru, who was trying his best to hide his laughter behind his hands. Makoto punched his shoulder softly, not at all angry with him. In fact, his head was light from the happiness overflowing inside him, his hands shaking as he turned to brush his fingers lightly over the screen.

“I’m so glad to see you guys,” he whispered, his cheeks hurting from smiling so wide, eyes glistening with unshed tears. His mother’s posture relaxed, a soft smile spreading to her smooth face.

“Silly boy,” she repeated, her tone full of affection. "You'll come here over Christmas, don't you? So no need to cry."

They talked a long while, but eventually it came time for his family to eat. Makoto was reluctant to say goodbye to them, but having Haru hold his hand made it easier. He managed to keep his voice from cracking as he bid them all goodbye, waving his hands even after the screen had gone dark. 

"You okay?" Haru asked, and Makoto nodded, rubbing his eyes as a sudden wave of fatigue washed over him. He was happy, but having woken up early and spending the whole day with screaming children was taking its toll on him. 

His eyes landed on the cupcake on the tray where Haru had placed it earlier, and he reached out to grab it, smiling at how beautifully the green frosting had been squeezed into a rose-shape. The candle that was still attached to the frosting was blue, the two colours fitting together quite nicely. Makoto smiled as he imagined how much time and effort Haru must've put into baking them, not even speaking about all the cooking he had done. 

"Eat your cake," Haru said, pulling the candle out before taking the cupcake from Makoto’s hand and stuffing it into his friend's half-open mouth. "It is chocolate flavored so you should like it."

Makoto let out muffled sound of surprise as he struggled to eat the cupcake without dropping crumbs all over the couch, his cheeks full and eyes wide. There was frosting all over his face despite his best efforts, his hands messy from his efforts.

"You look like a hamster," Haru said, the laughter in his voice making Makoto squeak in embarrassment. It only further fueled the mental image in Haru's mind, and soon he couldn't help but smile, turning his face away to hide it behind his hand. 

"Haruu~," Makoto whined after he was finally finished with the cupcake, wiping his fingers over his mouth, coloring them green with the frosting. "Why'd you do that!? Now my face is all sticky!"

"I haven't given you your present yet," Haru said instead of answering Makoto’s whimpering question. His face was still pointed to the carpet, as if he was afraid of meeting Makoto’s eyes. Makoto found himself freezing, a new burst of excitement rising in his stomach. 

"Oh, Haru!" he said, not even bothering to hide the joy from his voice. "You really didn't have to, just you being here is enough for me! And you even cooked, and made me cupcakes…" 

"But if you don't like my gift, please don't be angry," Haru said, making Makoto wonder if he had even heard his words. But when what Haru had said registered in his mind, he nearly fell off the couch in his rush to grab Haru's shoulder, desperate to convince his friend there was nothing he could give him that could make him angry. 

But Makoto had barely managed to open his mouth when Haru turned to face him, and then his lips were on Makoto’s.

It was a quick kiss, their lips barely touching before Haru pulled back, his blue eyes sparkling when he studied Makoto’s expression for any signs of discomfort. Makoto sat there dumbfounded, the tingling on his lips and the pink flush on Haru's cheeks the only thing convincing him that he had not dreamed what had just happened. 

Unable to find his voice, Makoto blinked as his eyes dropped to Haru's lips, something akin to a possessive desire heating up his insides when he noticed there was a tiny bit of green frosting on the corner of Haru's mouth. 

The sound Makoto let at the back of his throat was  _ not _ a pretty one, but it made Haru's eyes widen, and soon they had closed the distance between each other once again. 

After having thoroughly cleaned Makoto’s face of the frosting, Haru pulled back, licking his swollen lips with a satisfied smirk on his face. 

"Happy birthday, Makoto," he whispered, his voice a tad deeper than before. Hearing it made Makoto’s head light, a wide grin spreading to his flushed face.

And to think he had woken up that morning believing he would spend his birthday alone.

**Author's Note:**

> I hope you enjoyed it~
> 
> _(okay so if the title is from avps no one needs to know, shush xd)_


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